DPS commissioner warns of potential ‘crippling’ budget cuts

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The commissioner of Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety is warning of “crippling” effects if lawmakers move ahead with plans to slash funding, including the closure of two dozen driver’s license stations and four weeks of furloughs for employees.
Commissioner Michael Thompson released a list Wednesday of some of the cuts his agency would be forced to make if his budget shrank by 15 percent. It includes the elimination of the Highway Patrol’s motorcycle division.
House fiscal analysts are mulling cuts to state agencies as deep as 15 percent if lawmakers don’t approve new revenue sources this year.
Although it’s uncertain what the final budget agreement will look like, the Legislature is facing a hole of about $870 million, or about 12 percent of state spending.